Women pay tens of thousands of dollars to compete on ‘The Bachelor’

Agreeing to be a contestant on ABC's
TheBachelorette or The
Bachelor might seem like an easy commitment. All you have to
do is throw some of your belongings in a suitcase, fly to Los
Angeles and go on a number of dates — maybe even find love. Easy
peasy, right? Wrong.

Besides having to compete for the someone's attention
with 25 other people, as well as having every one of your
interactions broadcasted on television — including but not
limited to eating awhole sweet potato — both the ladies
and the competing on The Bachelor have to dish
out a hefty sum of cash prior to arriving to the California
mansion, as Mic previously reported in January.

Take Olivia Caridi for example: the 23-year-old
news anchor who competed for Ben Higgins' heart on the
20th season
of The Bachelor. She supposedly spent "like, 40,000 on clothes" and also
became known as the girl left on an island.

But, what about the dudes who are trying to find love
on The Bachelorette? Are they spending just as much
as the women even though they don't need a sparkly, cut-out dress
for every single rose ceremony? Can't they just simply throw on
the same suit each week?

As it turns out, they too often have to drop some cash —
although, not nearly as much.

ABC

The men require less clothing than women:
Contestants need outfits for ten weeks of rose
ceremonies in addition to dates that can range from a casual day
usually involving a hot tub to a romantic dinner followed by
a private concert.

"[Packing] is one of the hardest things to
do!" Higgins said in an interview. "I had a
bunch of people over to my house to help me pack and pick out
clothes."

While the ladies, need around ten dresses (unless they plan on
swapping) men are told to only bring 2-3 suits with "a few
different shirts, and ties so that they could be mixed and
matched" Joshua Albers, who vied for Kaitlyn Bristowe's heart
along with Higgins on Season 11, said in
an interview.

Men aren't completely off the financial
hook. In an exclusive promo obtained
by Glamour, of the dudes packing
for the current season airing on ABC,Chad
Johnson, a luxury real estate agent who was eliminated
week four, explains how he "probably overdid things a little
bit," adding, "I spent like seven grand on clothes just for
this."

As seen in the video, as long as it fits into their allotted
two suitcases, the men can bring as many as they want. "I think I
have like six suits," Christian Bishop, a telecom consultant who was eliminated at week three said
in the video. "I was only told to bring two."

Albers did, in fact, bring two suits, along with three shirts and
three ties. He estimates that he spent about $1,000 for the
suits, including having them tailored.

Others, like Higgins, simply recycled the pieces that they
brought. "I always re-wore suits to the rose ceremonies," he
said. "If I didn't re-wear a whole suit I would switch up the
jacket with pants or maybe go jacket-less. The guys often share
suits as well if they are the same size."

"I think [buying a new
wardrobe] is a personal preference," he adds. "I bought a new
suit and also purchased some new T-shirt, dress shirts, etc. But,
I didn't go overboard at all. I do know that someone spent $4,000
on clothes though."

But the ladies are still dropping more cash.
"Women's gowns are far more than a guys suit," Albers said. "A
lot of the guys have to wear suits for their career already, so
they didn't have to buy much of anything unless they wanted. I'm
a welder, so I had nothing remotely close to what's required for
a rose ceremony."

But it's not just clothing that women are spending more on. Prior
to the show, many women get extensions, acrylics and spray tans,
while the guys often focus on their hair.

Although the women have to buy more, many are in fact gifted clothing prior to the show for
publicity. Additionally, The Bachelor has
become a launching point for the ladies' careers, specifically in
the fashion world. Back in May, Bristowe released a clothing line, while
Dorfman designed a T-shirt with Southward Apparel
back in September. Besides clothing collections, Bristowe, Harris and Hartstock are just some of the previous
bachelorettes to have since launched style related blogs.

How much do the clothes even
matter? As much as you might not want to
believe it, people do judge books by their covers.

"Clothing is absolutely a factor [for attraction] for
it changes the appearance of a person [and] influences the
impression of what one thinks about another,"Dr. Karen
Ruskin, a marriage and family therapist, explained in
an interview. "The fact is, visual is the first thing we 'see'
before we experience anything else. Certain colors affect one's
experience of the person (e.g., light blue is warm and inviting
to have a dialogue, red represents power, whether the outfit is
tight fitting to the body or loose fitting can invite thoughts of
sexuality vs. relaxing laid back, etc.)"

It might be a factor, but that doesn't mean it affects the
outcomes of the shows. "The funny thing is, Ben [Higgins] and all
of the other guys don't give a sh*t!!! I bet you they don't even
notice a difference," Jillian Harris, the lead of season 5 of
The Bachelorette, previously wrote on her website. (You're saying Lauren B.'s
Cinderella-like dress didn't leave a lasting impression?!)

"I mean its the look good, feel good, date good kinda thing
right?" Higgins said. "I do think clothes help a person look
better and feel better so in that since they may be more
confident going on dates or being themselves."

So, will The Bachelor or the The
Bachelorette cost an arm and a leg? Yes, likely so. But
chances are you'll find love or, at least, people will be talking
about you on Twitter on Monday nights until the next season comes
around and you're forgotten about.